There are more than 400 genetic disorders in the UAE - and health bosses are set to welcome experts from across the globe to the country to help show genes don't have to 'control your destiny'.
Dubai will host the seventh annual International Genetic Disorders Conference on November 9 and 10, which aims to bring together regional and world experts in the field of genetics to discuss the latest advances in detection and management of genetic diseases.
A mandatory pre-marital screening has already brought down the number of deaths caused by thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder which causes severe anemia, from eight patients in 2013 to a single patient in both 2016 and 2017.
The UAE has one of the highest rates of thalassemia carriers in the world at 8.5 per cent - almost one in ten people in the country.
The Dubai Health Authority will soon implement the human genome project as part of the Dubai 10X initiative. The project will use automated learning and artificial intelligence to issue reports that support research, forecast future disorders and epidemics, and plan preventive measures.
“Prevention of genetic diseases, early detection and management are key focus areas that can drastically reduce the incidence of these diseases and better manage the quality of life of those living with the condition,” Humaid Al Qutami, Director-General of the DHA, said.
According to research, the most common disorders are blood complaints such as thalassemia, sickle cell, anaemia, haemophilia and G6PD deficiency.
Dr Maryam Mattar, founder and chairwoman of the Emirates Genetic Diseases Association, said: “There is no doubt that awareness and early screening is fundamental in our fight against genetic disorders."
The cost of genetic screening of thalassemia is Dh120, and the cost of treating a patient is Dh35,000 per annum. Similarly, the risk of neural tube defects, can also be prevented by a three month course of folic acid, which costs approximately Dh30, whereas treating a neural tube defects case costs Dh730,000.
Dr Mattar said: "Prevention is key in reducing the impact of genetic disorders, socially and economically, and is a long-term sustainable solution, especially in the UAE where a high per cent of the population is under 30 years of age."
She said that it is important for the community to understand that having certain genes does not mean that the person will develop the disease.
“Genetic testing and newer technologies provide an opportunity to understand our genes better and allow us to take action to help subside those genes by following a healthy lifestyle, sleep and exercise pattern. In some cases, it is important to undergo early medical intervention.
“However, inherited genetic mutation does not largely decide our destiny anymore. Advances in genetics has transformed preventive medicine for the better. Technology such as next-generation sequencing has uncovered the genes responsible for more than 50 per cent of all rare diseases,” said Dr Mattar.
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Established in 2004, the association has screened 33,211 male and female Emiratis on the three most common genetic disorders and have a DNA database of more than 9,000 Emiratis to be used for research.
According to the Global Genes Organization, there are approximately 7,000 different types of rare diseases and disorders, with more being discovered each day. Approximately 50 per cent of the people affected by rare diseases are children.
Dr Mattar said that the scientific programme of the conference will focus on latest innovations, important discoveries in genomics and advancements in the knowledge of how genetics affect human health and disease.
The conference will welcome more than 40 international, regional and local genetic experts from leading institutions and research organizations to address the two-day scientific programme.
For full details, visit the conference website, www.uaegdaconference.com
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
